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August 27, 2013

We have been enjoying the rains. (Although, it does make for muddy ditch banks and irrigation roads.)

My hummingbird book says that around August 26th the hummingbirds start their migration to the south. The older hummingbirds leave first…then the juveniles.

The book also says to keep out your feeder until you haven’t seen a little hummer for at least two weeks, allowing the last little one traveling the farthest to have food along the way to the land of blooming nectar plants and tiny flying insects.

My other songbirds have already fled …I haven’t put out seed in the other feeds for over two weeks now. I’m sure the time is coming when I will be slammed with sparrows and starlings…I always try to feed them so they will stay out of the dog food. (I keep the dog food up, but the starlings will dive the dogs until they drive them off and then take over the dish)

Yesterday as I was checking my seedlings I heard a buzz near my ear, then saw a dark blur move away from and in front of me. I thought it was a Japanese beetle, but it was a hummingbird! I see them almost daily now. They check out the 6-pack of marigolds and then have a sip from the duranta flowers.

Oh those starlings, when i first came to live here john had been in the habit of filling The Old Dogs bowl with some kind of hideous multi coloured dog food. The starlings ate all the dog food except the red ones. Not even a starling would eat the red ones. Nowadays, now that the dogs are eating corn free food, there is none left for the starlings because Kupa and the guineas are the clean up crew! I think I might like to put up some humming bird feeders next year. Yours are a joy! c

The doves just started showing up. Quail in the yard. Fall is a coming! We had problems with the starlings getting in the dog food. I tied bright yellow ribbons on the railing, that has kept them away. They also say a colorful plastic snake by the food works too.

I see you drive a toyota, I also have one! I loved the pictures, I actually had to put feed back out for the hummers! I thought that they were gone and the next thing I new they were buzzing by my head, letting me know that they were not gone!

We ended up plowing our corn under. Hubby got mad when he saw all the damage the coons did. (He was pretty sure it was coons.) Plus, it wasn’t filling out very well, even though I was careful to plant it in blocks like they recommend.
Oh well. First garden is always a learning curve.
You always have pretty rainbows.
Hope the rain stops when you need it too! ♥

Ah, thanks for the hummer info. I think our adults have left already, but the juvies are indeed still here. Our swallows left without much fanfare and the fields are quiet now, although there are still quite a few birds around. had to stop feeding because of the sparrows….